Alexander “Mine Boy” Levinsky, Jewish and Toronto Maple Leaf legend

On my walk this past spring through Holy Blossom Cemetery in Scarborough — puck in hand — I visited the grave of Alexander Levinsky.

Born in Syracuse, New York, and raised in Toronto, Alex Levinsky was a standout Jewish athlete who excelled in multiple sports. His hockey journey took him from the Toronto Marlboros to the big leagues, when he was called up to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 1930–31 season.

A year later, he helped Conn Smythe’s Leafs win their first Stanley Cup, playing on defence alongside the legendary Hap Day. That championship team also featured the iconic Kid Line: Charlie Conacher, Joe Primeau, and Busher Jackson — names etched in Maple Leafs lore.

Alex Levinsky’s defence partner, Hap Day. 

Levinsky would go on to play 367 NHL games, including stints with both the Leafs and the Chicago Black Hawks. But his story didn’t end on the ice. After hockey, he earned a law degree from the University of Toronto, becoming a lawyer and later a successful businessman — owning a car dealership and a bowling alley.

His nickname, “Mine Boy,” came from his father, who was known to loudly cheer from the stands:
“That’s mine, boy!”

Alexander Levinsky died in Toronto on September 1, 1990. He was 80.

1910-1990